2025 didn’t start with a bang. It started with total silence.

If we spoke back in January, you wouldn’t have found a “thought leader” or a “founder.” You would have found a guy recovering from a really rough 2024 that left me burnt out and navigating depression. My KPIs for January weren’t revenue or reach. They were days I exercised, hours meditated, and time spent playing with my daughter.

I kept that grounding throughout the year. From April 18th to the 21st, I took off to the mountains in Hervás, here in Extremadura. I spent those days meditating alone and walking the trails. It was exactly what I needed to clear my head. Watch the video so you can see the peace I’m talking about.

Looking back, 2025 was a battle between two versions of myself: the one I built for others, and the one I am building for me.

That is a hard fight. You spend years constructing a persona because it works, because it pays the bills, and because people applaud it. But eventually, the mask gets heavy.

By February, I felt ready to run again. But I started running on the track I knew best, not the one I actually wanted. I launched a massive content sprint on LinkedIn. I poured myself into my book, Shift: The Playbook for Event-Driven Architecture Advocacy, and wrapped up the manuscript by September.

I even spoke at Extremadura Digital Day in Cáceres. But this wasn’t just another gig. It felt like the culmination of my work on AsyncAPI, right here in my homeland with my people. It was the first time my daughter was in the audience and could see me speaking. That was an amazing feeling, a total career highlight 🩷

On paper, I was crushing it. I was the “AsyncAPI Guy.”

But deep down, I was just doing what was safe. I was doing these things because I was good at them. It is incredibly easy to get addicted to the competence and the applause you get for doing what everyone expects you to do. But simply being excellent at something isn’t enough. If it doesn’t light you up, it drains you slowly.

The cracks in the “safe choice” really showed up in the summer. I went to the Pyrenees for a whole month with my family, driving a caravan and sleeping in campings. It was an amazing time to read, reflect, and completely disconnect from the daily work grind.

During a solo retrospective there, I admitted the truth to myself: I didn’t want to just talk about architecture anymore. I wanted to build products again.

The idea for Commune had been in the back of my head for about two or three months, but I kept killing it. I told myself it wasn’t related to EDA or that people would get confused. I thought it would ruin the brand strategy. This summer, I finally asked: Who cares?

I decided to stop optimizing for “brand clarity” and start optimizing for my own energy. I finished Shift to honor that commitment, but I made the hard call to step back. I announced that I will be leaving the project completely in the first half of 2026. I pivoted to Commune, and for the first time in a long time, the work actually felt like play.

But old habits die hard. In November, the temptation to be “safe” grabbed me one last time. I joined a company in the EDA space. It made logical sense. It was familiar territory. Three weeks later, I resigned.

It wasn’t because of the company or the team. It was because I realized I had betrayed my own clarity. I was back in the safe zone, ignoring the spark I had found with Commune. Resigning was scary, but it was also my proudest moment of 2025. By respecting myself enough to walk away, I also respected them enough not to give them half a heart.

Right after resigning, I made a move to get back on track with Commune. I hired Alex Sanchez to help me with marketing. This wasn’t just a hire; it was an act of commitment. I finally acknowledged that I couldn’t do everything by myself, so I went out and hired the best. Because of that, you can expect a bunch more video and written content from me. Before, I’ve been lazy many times about writing this newsletter. Now I’ll probably still be lazy, but Alex will be there poking me so I don’t forget 😄

From the outside, 2025 probably looked messy. People saw me pivot a lot and share the struggle. It might seem negative or like I am still suffering from depression. But it is actually the opposite. What you're seeing is a man rebuilding himself inside out. That's definitely not a linear process. However, I am stronger than ever, and this new version of me is amazing. I will still work on my mental health. I will keep seeing my psychologist, absolutely. To be honest, I think that is a lifelong thing. As it should be.

This year was about letting me be myself, independently of what others might expect. I would love to tell you that I don’t care what others think, but that is basically impossible. We are social animals. That feeling can’t be removed completely, and I don’t think it’s even a good idea to try. But that external validation shouldn’t drive my mood, my decisions, or my self-worth.

If you are holding onto a career path just because you are good at it, take it from me: The “safe” choice is often the most dangerous one for your soul.

I end this year with a finished book, a clear exit plan from my past life in EDA, and a new venture that makes me feel alive. Next year is going to be about Commune for sure. Keep an eye on your inbox because the next newsletter will include an exclusive invitation for us to try 🫣 Yeah, it's real now!

See you in 2026!